Leaving Neverland
by Lady MSM
Summary: Meleth doesn't want to grow up. She doesn't want to leave her cozy childhood home and doting parents, and she certainly doesn't want to work as a maid for rude, hot-tempered Princess Idril. Unfortunately, she doesn't have much of a choice...
1. Prologue

_**Hello, everyone! I know it's been a while since I've posted something here, but I've been crazy busy lately. Anyway, yes, this is another one of my Silmarillion-characters-as-awkward-teenagers deals. Hey, it's my trademark!**_

_**First of all, I named the story **__**Leaving Neverland **__**because most of it consists of Meleth not wanting to grow up, much like Peter Pan. Ah, literary references.**_

_**Secondly, you will notice that I measure people's ages differently in this story. Since this takes place in Middle Earth, I figure they might've measured people's ages differently than they did in Valinor. Yes, I know I'm inconsistent. Just ignore that. **_

_**As usual, the style of this story is pretty modern, so enjoy that.**_

_**And since this is a prequel, of sorts, to my story **_**Wicked Smart**_**, I did the same thing as I did in that where there's quotes at the beginning of each chapter.  
**_

_**Have fun reading, and don't forget to tell me what you think! **_

**Leaving Neverland **

**Prologue: Departure**

"**You are young, life has been kind to you…You will learn."**

**-from **_**Sweeney Todd**_

"So you think you know better than me, do you?" snapped Mama, with her hands on her hips and a scowl that could curdle milk.

I sighed. _So you think you know better than me, do you_ was the argument Mama always used when she couldn't think of anything else to say. And there was absolutely _no _way to fight back.

"No, Mama, I don't think I know better than you," I said desperately. "I just want to know _why._"

"Because I said so, and because the women of this family have worked as ladies' maids since the beginning of the world, and because Eru knows there's no other way I'm going to turn you into a lady."

"But…Mama…" I whined. "I'm too _young _to go off and work! I'm only thirty-eight!"

"I became a maid when I was five years younger than you," said Mama.

"Yes, but you were only a maid for seven years before you married Papa. I doubt some overly romantic young knight is going to snatch _me_ up right away."

"Don't you talk about your father that way, young woman!" snarled Mama. "You're _going_, and that's _that_! I don't want to hear another word about this, Meleth!" She crossed her arms over her ample chest and turned away, indicating that the argument was over.

_Drat,_ I thought. I had absolutely no desire to be a maid to some princess I'd never met and who I'd heard was pretty queer, not least because in my family, going off to work meant you were grown up, ready to be married. I didn't want to be married. I wanted to stay a kid.

I tried once more. "_Mama…_"

"Go pack, Meleth."

With a growl of frustration, I stomped upstairs. That's another annoying thing about women in my family—what we lack in height, we make up for in _always_ getting our way. But I still had one final plan—_surely _Papa wouldn't want me to go!

"Papa!" I cried, bursting into his study. "Mama's trying to send me away to be a ladies' maid. Is there any way you can change her mind?"

Papa shook his head. "Meleth, dear," he said, "come sit on your Papa's lap."

I did so, smiling. How Papa ever got to be a knight is beyond me. He seems much too kind and civil to ever run a sword through anyone.

"Now, Meleth," said Papa. "Your mother is right. It's high time you learned how to live without your mother and me protecting you. After all, you're nearly grown up now, and…"

"I don't _want _to be grown up! I want to stay a kid and live here forever! And I _don't _want to get married!"

"Well, I certainly wouldn't be advising getting married at your age," laughed Papa. "But your mother and I—well, perhaps we've been unfair, keeping you in this house all the time. You need to learn to interact with people your age. Vinyamar will be the perfect place for this. It's an excellent city, Meleth. I know you'll love it there."

"Princess Idril is crazy," I said. "At least, that's what Cook told me."

"Cook is a mean gossip," said Papa. "I've met Princess Idril, and she's no crazier than any other girl your age. I think you and she will get along very well. Meleth, please just try to be good and have fun. Can you promise your Papa that?"

I sighed and nodded. Clearly both of my parents were mad.

I was up at five the next morning—certainly not by my choice, since I had stayed up late the night before saying goodbye to everything in the house. Mama woke me up by pulling all the covers off my bed in one swift motion.

"Up, Meleth," she ordered. "You leave for your new home today, or have you forgotten?"

"How could I forget something like _that_?" I muttered. Unfortunately, Mama mistook this as excitement and beamed as she bustled around the room.

"You should wear your second-best-dress today…that way you'll make a good impression but your best dress won't be ruined by the dust on the road. Perhaps we should curl your hair, too…no, that'll take too long. We'll just put it up. Get _up_, Meleth! You have to _leave _in an hour!"

Eventually I did get up, and consented to being poked and prodded and dolled up by Mama. Although I couldn't see the point in trying to impress a princess who everyone said was crazy and, moreover, plain as a board, I did want to make a good impression on High Prince Turgon and all the rest of them. After all, I was the daughter of a respected knight, not some dirty peasant girl, even if I _did _live in the country. If I was going to be banished from my home, I'd at least look nice while doing it.

Mama finished putting up my hair and sniffed. "Oh, Meleth, you look so grown up! Here, look at yourself." She pushed me in front of the polished silver mirror that hung on my door.

I looked myself over carefully. Mama was right—with my good dress on and my hair up, I _did _look more grown up. Especially since my figure had started filling out over the past year. No matter how much my mind stayed a kid, it looked like my appearance was starting to make me into a woman.

Holding back tears, I turned away from the mirror. "Let's go, Mama."


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Vinyamar**

"**This both sucks and blows."**

**-Bart Simpson**

I don't know what I was expecting Vinyamar to be like. I suppose I thought it would be a dark, ugly, filthy place, full of pickpockets and street urchins and the like. Cook had always told me that cities were where the worst of the world came together and that I was lucky that I lived out in the nice, clean countryside. Needless to say, I was practically shaking when our wagon pulled up to the city gates.

"Just a moment, sir," called one of the guards at the gates, putting out a hand to stop us. "May we ask you a few questions?"

"Of course, young man," said Ormenel, our driver, cheerfully. He'd been with my family for years and I'd never seen him frown. "What can we do for you?"

The guard smiled—Ormenel's cheerfulness must have been catching. "What's your business in the city, sir?"

Ormenel indicated me. "I'm just taking the young lady here to her new job as the princess' maid."

"Hmm," said the guard, looking me up and down and smiling in a way I didn't like. "Well, aren't you a pretty young thing."

I looked down at my feet, mortified. My parents told me I was pretty, of course, but this was the first time I had heard it from a complete stranger. _Come on, let us in! _I thought desperately.

"Watch your tongue, laddie. She's too young for you," said Ormenel. "Are we all set, then?"

"Absolutely. Enjoy the city, miss!" said the guard, bowing to me. He walked away, and a moment later the gates swung open and we were in Vinyamar.

It was _beautiful_.

Certainly, there were a lot more buildings and people and noise that I was used to, but still. The houses were brightly colored and mostly clean, and the people looked friendly and ordinary, not like wicked criminals. It occurred to me that Cook had probably never even _been _to Vinyamar, if she thought it was so terrible.

_Well, maybe it's all right for a _visit, I thought gloomily. _But I'm going to have to _live _here for Varda knows how long! Maybe after a few weeks Mama and Papa will realize how much they miss me, and they'll bring me home…_But even as I thought this I knew how unlikely it was. Mama would want me to work until I got married, and Papa would never go against Mama's wishes. With a sigh, I went back to watching the goings-on around me.

An adorable little boy with a dirty face clutching a bouquet of bedraggled flowers ran up alongside our wagon. "Buy some flowers for your sweetheart, miss?"

I was just about to reach into my purse and toss him a penny when Ormenel said sternly, "Be off with you, boy. Stop bothering the lady. You've got to be careful with these urchin types, dear," he said to me once the little boy had run off. "You can never tell when they really need the money."

Personally, I had thought that the little boy looked like he hadn't eaten in days and probably _did _need the money. But of course Ormenel knew more about these matters than I did.

In a sharp contrast to the rest of the city, the palace was a pure, snowy white, so bright that it was hard to look at. Papa had told me that Prince Turgon's late wife had loved white houses, and so he had built the palace in honor of her. It seemed dreadfully romantic, although one did have to wonder what good building a palace to please a dead woman would do.

The guards at the palace gates inspected us much as the one at the city gates had done, but these ones were older and none of them said I was pretty. They waved us through, and we parked our wagon and I got out.

"Well, goodbye, Miss," said Ormenel. "Enjoy yourself."

"All right," I said, trying not to cry. "Goodbye, Ormenel."

He saluted and turned the wagon around, and I was escorted into the palace. Alone.

"Lady Aredhel is waiting for you in the parlor," said the servant who was leading me. "Hopefully the princess will be there as well."

"_Hopefully_?" I asked nervously.

She shrugged. "Never can tell with that girl. She goes where she wants."

I gulped and looked down at my feet.

The parlor was a lovely room, all velvet wall hangings and fancy vases, but I barely noticed the furnishings. My attention was focused on the center of the room, where a tall, dark-haired woman in a gray dress was scolding a skinny, barefoot servant girl in a black shift. I sighed. Apparently the princess wasn't there after all.

"_How _did you get that black eye?" the woman was asking angrily.

The girl shrugged. "Same way my parents got me. By accident."

Lady Aredhel—I assumed that was who the woman was—rolled her eyes. "Come on, I need more details than _that_."

"Well," said the girl, "Glorfindel called my mother a floozy, so of course I had to hit him. And then he hit me back. And that's how I got the black eye."

"Idril, I think you're a bit too old to be fighting about things like that."

I made a slight noise of surprise. The barefoot girl wasn't a servant—she was the _princess. _I was going to be working for a girl who got into fights and said crude things about her parents. This was worse than being crazy.

Both Lady Aredhel and Princess Idril turned to look at me. I quickly remembered to curtsy.

"What's your name, dear?" asked Lady Aredhel kindly.

"Meleth," I said, quickly adding, "Ma'am."

"Ah! Idril, your new maid's arrived."

"Excellent!" said Idril, grinning wickedly. "Fresh meat. Welcome to the palace, Meleth."

"Thank you, miss," I said, curtsying again and scared out of my wits.

"Well, I'll leave you girls to get acquainted," said Lady Aredhel brightly. "I'm sure you'll get along great. I have to go to council and make sure my brainless brother doesn't make this city even more screwed up than it already is." She swept out the door, leaving me and my new mistress alone.

Idril laughed. "Gotta love my aunt. Come on, I'll show you to our rooms."

"Excuse me, miss," I said. "_Our _rooms?"

"Yes, you've got a room connected to my suite. You'll like it; it's nice and clean and it's got a window, even if it's not too big. And you don't have to call me miss all the time if you don't want to. I don't care."

"Yes…Miss Idril," I said. I wasn't up to calling her by just her name. "I'm sure I'll like the room."

Idril laughed. "Gods, you're nice! It's going to be great having someone so agreeable here. Most of us just bicker all the time." We had been going up a flight of polished marble stairs, and as Idril made this last comment we had arrived at the end. In front of us on the wall hung an incredibly beautiful tapestry of the Two Trees. It looked like it had been woven of real silver and gold.

"That's lovely," I said. "It looks so real."

"Yeah, it's cool," said Idril. "It's one of the few things we brought with us out of Valinor that didn't get destroyed. Got a little beat up, though."

I looked closer and saw that yes, the tapestry did have a few rips here and there.

"Our rooms are the first door on the right," said Idril, leading me away from the tapestry. "Here we are!"

What I first noticed about Idril's rooms was the surprising tidiness. I had assumed a girl like her would just throw things on the floor and never clean up after herself, but instead things were neatly put away in drawers and the bed looked like it had just been made. My surprise must have shown, because Idril laughed.

"Yeah, I'm a bit neurotic about cleanliness. I suppose I got it from my dad. That and my pig-headedness. Although Aunt Aredhel likes to say I'm _determined_."

"You know, you're not like people said you were," I blurted out, and then instantly regretted it.

"What do people say about me?" Idril asked, frowning.

I was going to lie and say that it was nothing important, but I knew that Idril would see through that in a second. "Well, they say you're a bit odd…"

"True."

"And that you have a terrible temper…"

"Also true, but I mostly use it on my dad."

"And that you're…well, ugly."

"Hmm," said Idril. "And do _you _think I'm ugly?"

I looked her over. Idril certainly wasn't what I'd call pretty—all skin and bones, with a nose that was too small and a mouth and dark eyes that were too big. The one thing that could have made her pretty, her bright blond hair, was cut into a ragged bob that barely reached her chin. But still, she had a clever, bright face, and I somewhat enjoyed looking at her.

"No," I said. "You're not ugly. You may not be pretty, but you're not ugly."

Idril smiled. "Good. I'd rather be smart than pretty, but it's good not to be ugly."

"Er…" I said. "People have also said…you have the second sight." I was a bit nervous about saying this, because Idril seemed like the sort of girl who'd laugh at you for believing something like that. She didn't.

"The second sight?" she said thoughtfully. "Well, I _am_ a bit more perceptive than most people. You can call it second sight if you want. Whatever it is, it creeps my dad out endlessly."

"Begging your pardon," I said, "but it seems like you and your dad don't get along very well."

"You don't need to beg my pardon for that; it's common knowledge," said Idril. "He wanted a boy, which I'm not, even though I look like one, and he's never quite forgiven me for missing certain bits of anatomy."

I blushed when she said this, since I wasn't used to such frank mention of male anatomy—or, for that matter, _any _anatomy. My parents had always been bashful about such subjects.

"Well, enough talk about my old man," Idril said brightly. "You haven't seen your room yet! It's just off from my bedroom."

My room was clean, bright, and pretty, and I liked it, even thought it was small. I set down my bags, and sat down on the bed.

"You'll probably want to be alone for a moment, right?" Idril asked. I nodded. "No problem. See you later." She turned to go, but before she reached the door, she turned back.

"I'm really glad you're here, Meleth," she said quietly. "I hope we'll be friends."

_Huh_, I thought after the door closed behind her. _Maybe I won't hate it here_.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: A Lesson in Politics**

"**My father and I get along fine most of the time. It's only when we're talking that we don't."**

**-Maglor Feanorion**

I woke up the next morning, and, as soon as I realized I didn't recognize my surroundings, set to figuring out where I was. This turned out to be pretty easy, as almost as soon as I had opened my eyes my new employer burst into the room and sat down with a thump on top of my bed—well, actually, on top of my legs.

"Rise and shine, new girl!" Idril sang out.

"I can't rise, you're sitting on me," I grumbled. "And I can't shine, because it's too early to get up. What time is it, anyway?"

"Morning," said Idril simply. "Anyway, I get up early. You'll get used to it. Come on, I want to show you around more!"

Well, as much as I didn't want to get up, I did want to explore the palace a bit more, so I grudgingly rolled out of bed and got dressed. Idril stayed in the room the entire time, though I made sure she averted her eyes when I was changing clothes.

"Gods, Meleth, you're such a prude," she laughed. "I mean, we're both girls."

"Yes, Miss Idril, I know," I said. "But I enjoy a bit of privacy."

Idril shrugged. "Whatever you like. Just don't dress like you did yesterday. It's completely impractical."

"Mama wanted me to make a good impression," I explained.

"Well, mission accomplished. Now let's mosey on down to the kitchen. Skip'll probably have some breakfast for us."

"Who's Skip?" I asked as we made our way out of Idril's room and down the stairs.

"Our cook. Don't ask me his real name; no one knows it." Idril didn't seem to notice the oddness of this, and went on chattering about everything we passed.

"That vase was my grandfather's…Dad broke it when he was a kid, and they had to put it back together…see that crack in the side? That stain on the floor there is from when I tripped while carrying a kitchen knife and cut myself, and they never quiet got the blood cleaned up. That's how I got this scar on my arm. Oh, and that portrait's of my mom. Wasn't she pretty?"

We had stopped in front of a painting of a curvaceous, blue-eyed woman with curly gold hair and a friendly smile. She was obviously Vanyarin—nobody but a Vanya could have looked that perfect.

"Yes, she was beautiful," I said. "Begging your pardon, but how exactly did she…what exactly happened to her?"

"We were crossing the Helcaraxe," said Idril quietly, "and she was carrying me. She stepped on a place where the ice was thin, and we both went under. Dad saved me, but Mom drowned."

"I'm…sorry."

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault."

I nodded, and we moved on.

The palace kitchen was much grander than any kitchen I'd ever seen. It was large, with a big window facing west and everything neatly put away in cupboards or hanging on hooks. There was a load of people, too—people who wore white uniforms and ran about yelling things I didn't quite understand. I suddenly longed for our quiet, dark little kitchen back home, with Cook in her stained apron gossiping about the farm hands.

Idril led me into a small back room with air so spicy it stung my eyes and made me sneeze. Once I'd recovered, I looked around. There were no big windows or fierce-looking uniformed people—just a wiry, ordinary-looking man standing over a large pot.

"Hey, Skip!" called Idril. "You going to cook us girls some breakfast, or what?"

"Naw, today's my day off," said Skip lazily. "I just came in because I like the smell of this place."

"Ha ha ha, very funny," snapped Idril. "Never forget, old boy, that I can get my aunt to fire you in a blink of an eye."

"Your aunt wouldn't do that, she likes me. Maybe someday I'll marry her and save her from spinsterhood."

I had been watching this witty interaction with some interest, but after a few minutes the spices got to me again and I sneezed. Skip turned to look at me.

"Idril, silly girl, you didn't introduce me to your nice young friend over here! What's your name, honey?"

"Meleth. I'm the new maid," I said, curtsying. "Nice to meet you."

Skip laughed. "You're a doll, girl, an absolute doll. Don't worry, Uncle Skip'll make you the best breakfast you've ever seen."

"See, new girl?" said Idril. "You have a calming effect on people. Not like me—I just rile things up."

Breakfast was delicious—just eggs and bacon, but probably the best eggs and bacon I'd ever had. I wanted to stay in the kitchen after we had finished, but Idril didn't let us.

"Come on," she said as soon as we finished breakfast. "We're going to go sneak into council."

"We are?" I asked. "Why do we have to sneak in?"

"Because girls aren't technically allowed to go, and especially not ones our age. But I do it anyway, since I'm the only heir my father's got." She said this somewhat angrily, and I just nodded.

Eventually, after much sneaking around the hallways, we wound up in front of a small wooden door. Idril put a finger to her lips, and we went in.

The door opened on a large, windowless room, lit only by several torches hung on the wall. Idril later explained that the darkness was to make the meetings seem more interesting. Trust me, they needed it.

"I say it's high time we cleaned up this city!" a silver-haired man was saying angrily. "Our streets are filthy, and half our citizens are living in squalor."

"That's true," Idril whispered to me. "Plus our schools are terrible, and half the kids don't even go."

I thought of the dirty little boy I had seen on the street on my first day here and nodded.

"Well, you have a point, the city could be more sanitary," said a cool male voice from the other end of the table. I looked and saw a tall, dark-haired man with an intelligent face and a slight frown. "But on the other hand, where will we get the money for that? Taxes are high enough as it is. People wouldn't be very happy with us if we made them pay more."

"They _would _be if their living conditions were halfway decent as a result!" muttered Idril. "Stupid Dad."

"That's your father?" I said. Looking closer at the prince, I could see his resemblance to Idril.

"Yes, and he's an _idiot_. Never does anything right. If I was in charge around here, I'd set things straight."

There was quite a bit more arguing on the subject of sanitation, after which it seemed to be decided that the matter was too difficult to resolve and would be left aside until the next day. To discover that this was how our government actually worked was quite a disappointment to me.

The council was over several minutes later, with almost nothing resolved. I sighed with relief—this had been the most boring half hour of my life.

The only person left in the room was Idril's father, who was shuffling through some papers and frowning. I figured it was high time we got out of there, and so I stood up and quietly headed for the door.

"_Meleth_!" hissed Idril angrily. "_Get down_!"

Unfortunately, it was too late. Prince Turgon frowned and stood up.

"Idril," he called, "come out of there."

Idril scowled and stood up. Prince Turgon walked over to us, shaking his head.

"Idril, I thought I told you that you have no right to come sneaking into our councils," he said. "This is state business and is to be kept strictly confidential."

"I'm your heir. I have a right to know what's going on."

"Technically, you are not my heir."

"I _am _your heir! I'm the only one you've got!"

Prince Turgon sighed and looked at me. "And who's _this_? It's bad enough that you sneak in here, Idril, without bringing other children in."

Idril seemed to be too angry to speak, so I stepped forward and curtseyed. "I'm Meleth, your Highness. The new maid. And I'm so sorry, your Highness, but…"

"That will do, girls. Please leave now."

"_Fine_," snarled Idril. "Let's go, Meleth."

Obediently, I followed her out the door, feeling horrible. Poor Idril! No wonder she acted how she did if her father was so dreadful to her. Before I could change my mind, I turned and ran back into the council room.

"Your Highness!" I cried. "I need to apologize. It was my fault we snuck in."

Prince Turgon looked up from his papers and frowned. "_Your _fault?"

"Yes. You see, sir, Idril's been showing me around, and I told her how much I would love to see the council room, and we had no idea that there was a meeting going on. Idril's been so kind to me, Your Highness. Please don't punish her."

"You're lying."

I looked up from my feet, surprised. "Lying, sir?"

"Yes. My daughter has snuck into councils on numerous occasions without any encouragement. Do you honestly expect me to believe she only came in here because _you _insisted?"

I took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, sir. And even if I _was _lying, you may be certain that I would have a very good reason for it." I thought that last bit was very tactful indeed.

There was a long pause, during which I barely breathed. Maybe Prince Turgon _could _tell that I was lying. Maybe he'd send me home. And while I would have loved to see my parents again, I would much prefer to leave on my own terms.

Finally the prince turned back to his papers.

"Fine," he said. "Tell my daughter that if I ever catch either of you sneaking around here again, there will be _severe _consequences. Understand?"

"Yes, sir!" I said, my spirits soaring. I was safe! Quickly I curtsied and ran out of the room as fast as I possibly could.

_**Sorry if this story seems to be taking a while to get going. It'll speed up soon, I promise!**_


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Lads**

"**It's not the size of the dog in the fight. It's the size of the fight in the dog."**

**-Mark Twain**

"I hope you've learned a very important lesson today," said Idril sternly.

"I did," I said. "I learned that your father is terrifying."

Idril sighed. "I suppose he is," she said. "I just wish he would recognize me as his heir." We were sitting in her room eating supper, after Idril had finished showing me around. I had been too shaken to pay attention most of the time.

"What's he going to do for an heir if you're not it?" I asked.

"He expects me to get married and have a son who'll be his heir, but who'd marry me?"

"My parents expect me to get married, too," I said. "That's what happens to all the women in my family: We go off to work, we stay for a few years, and then we run off with some middle-class gent and live out in the country. I expect it'll happen to me, too."

"It doesn't have to," said Idril. "Look at my aunt. She's not married, and she's been grown up for years. Say, I have an idea…why don't I introduce you to my friends tomorrow? They've got some pretty elaborate theories as to what you're like."

"Oh, dear," I said. "Do I want to know what they are?"

"I expect you'll hear plenty about them tomorrow," Idril evaded. I nodded and sighed, knowing full well that it could be nothing good.

The next morning, Idril, of course, followed her usual routine of bursting into the room, sitting on me, and telling me to get up. "Come on, come on!" she said. "The lads are waiting for us outside!"

"The lads?" I said. I wasn't quite prepared to talk to a bunch of boysI'd never met.

"Yes. They're the best; you'll love them. And they'll like you, since you're cute. Come _on_!"

I was a bit sick of hearing "Come _on_!" all the time, but I just nodded and got up.

There wasn't anyone waiting in the courtyard when we got out there, and I briefly wondered whether Idril's friends had gotten sick of waiting and gone home. This was proven to be false when two figures leaped out of the shadows yelling, "_Surprise_!" causing me to scream and trip backwards.

"My, my," said a male voice. "I knew we were scary, but I didn't know we were _that _scary."

I looked up at the handsomest boy I had ever seen. He had light green eyes, sleek golden hair, perfect angular features, and the most charming smile I had ever seen. I was temporarily rendered speechless.

The boy bowed. "My apologies, miss. It was completely rude of us to jump out at you like that."

"Meleth, this is Glorfindel," said Idril, rolling her eyes. "He has delusions of being a grand and charming nobleman when in fact he's a sleazy urchin who couldn't make a desperate old widow fall in love with him."

"I _am _a grand nobleman," said Glorfindel. "May I remind you that I'm technically the Lord of the House of the Golden Flower?"

"Yeah, well, I'm a princess, so I outrank you."

"You'd think so, but no," commented the other boy. He was thin and slightly shorter than Glorfindel, with long fingers and dark hair. "I'm Ecthelion, by the way. Meleth, is it? Nice to meet you."

"N…nice to meet you too," I stuttered. "I'm…um…I'm Idril's new maid…"

"Ah, of course, the new maid!" cried Glorfindel. "We've had all sorts of theories about you. Mine was that Turgon's looking for a new wife and he wants some fresh little girl from the country so that's why he hired you. Tell me, has he made any advances toward you yet?"

"No, but he did accuse me of lying."

"Well, coming from Turgon, that's pretty close," said Ecthelion. "My theory was that you're a do-gooder who's come to try and save all poor street urchins. Is that true?"

"No," I said. "I came here because my mother made me."

"How boring," said Glorfindel, shaking his head. Idril rolled her eyes, and we all made our way out of the courtyard and into the street.

"So I take it by your shocked expression that this is the first proper city you've ever been in," said Glorfindel.

"Actually," I said, "I'd never left my parents' property before this."

"Sad," said Glorfindel.

"I've been leaving my parents' property since I was tall enough to unlatch the gate," said Ecthelion. "After all, how am I going to find fame and fortune if I stay inside all the time?"

"You've already got your entire family fortune," said Idril. "As for fame, well, don't hold your breath. Try to get some talent first."

"Oh, that I've got," said Ecthelion. "After all, didn't the great Maglor Feanorion himself tell me so? And haven't I got it in writing?"

"You do?" I asked. "Can I see?" I'd heard of Maglor Feanorion, of course…the field hands went about singing his songs all the time (a lot of them had swear words in them). I'd never heard him sing in person, though.

"That you may, love," said Ecthelion. From his pocket he pulled a rather ragged piece of paper and handed it to me. The writing on it was fairly smudged, but I was able to make out:

_Ecthelion, you've got talent, kid! Keep up the practice and in a few years you'll be better than me. I might have to run you out of town when that happens though, so be warned. Your pal, Maglor_

"He brags about that all the time," said Idril. "It's kind of sad that that's the only thing he has to be proud of."

"When did you get this?" I asked.

"Maglor came and did a show at the harvest festival five years back," said Glorfindel. "You can't tell me you weren't _there_! Even the strictest parents let their children go there! What kind of family are you from?"

"Now hold on a minute!" I said, stopping angrily. "My parents _aren't _strict. They're the best parents anyone could ask for. I never left our farm because I didn't _want _to! It's _perfect _there! And anyway, how can you be so rude about my life, when…" I stopped talking when I realized Glorfindel and the others weren't there anymore. They must have not realized I had stopped and kept going, or maybe they were just annoyed with me. Either way, I was now alone.

My first thought was to stay where I was until they came back and found me, but since people were bumping into me and saying, "_Move_, girl!" quite frequently, I decided that this wasn't such a good idea. My second thought was to duck into a side street until I could figure out where to go next, which I wound up doing. Unfortunately, this side street had already been taken over by a group of very oddly dressed people.

"Excuse me," I said politely. "But have you seen my friends? They…"

"Oh, dear, a lost country girl!" cried one of the women. "Isn't she _precious_! Come here, darling, and let me tell your fortune."

"Oh, no thank you, ma'am, I…" But she had already come up to me and grabbed my hand, closely inspecting the palm.

"Hmm…" she said. "I see that you're a long ways from home."

_She could be saying that about anyone,_ I thought. _Especially me, since I'm so obviously lost._ I tried to pull away again, and didn't succeed.

"I see a man with no heir, and a girl with no chance…they will both need your help. I see a boy…a handsome boy, but you are angry at him. Be careful with him…he will make you happy, but not for long."

I was staring at her with wide eyes by now, since I was fairly sure she had just described Turgon, Idril, and Glorfindel. But I didn't think Glorfindel would ever make me anything but annoyed.

"And finally…" said the fortune-teller, pausing dramatically, "I see that you owe me five silver."

"But I don't have any money," I said. "You didn't tell me this cost anything."

"Do you think we tell fortunes for nothing? This is our only livelihood!" Some of the other people in the shadows had started to walk towards us, and I could see that there were several tough-looking men. I automatically took a step backward, knowing that it wouldn't do me any good. "So you'd _better _have some money, or…"

"Here," said someone behind me. I turned around to see Glorfindel throw a few silver coins onto the ground. "Now will you leave this poor girl alone, you filth?"

"Meleth, where _were _you?" cried Idril, running up to join us. She glanced at the fortune-teller and the others and scowled. "Were you bothering my maid? Take your money and go, or I'll have the king kick you out of town."

"Yes, miss," muttered my assailants, and quickly grabbed the silver coins and disappeared into the shadows. Idril shook her head and linked arms with me.

"Don't _ever _get lost like that again, you hear me?" she said. "We were _so _worried!"

"Damn gypsies," muttered Glorfindel. "You're not the first kid they've pulled that scam on."

"What are gypsies?" I asked.

"People who travel around from city to city and perform, or tell fortunes, or anything, really. Most of them are all right, but sometimes you get a bad crew, like those ones."

"What would they have done to me if you hadn't come?"

"Probably shoved you around a little and then taken whatever you had that was the least bit valuable," said Idril. "You'd be ok, but it wouldn't be fun."

"Oh," I said. "Well, thank you for saving me."

"Of course. And please excuse my rudeness earlier," said Glorfindel. "Idril's right, I am remarkably tactless sometimes. And now, let's go meet up with Ecthelion, whom I instructed to fetch us something to eat." With that, he also linked arms with me, and we walked back out of the alley. I don't know why, but I blushed.

"So how do you like my friends?" asked Idril when we were safely home again.

I thought for a moment, and then nodded. "They're all right. Glorfindel's kind of annoying, though."

Idril laughed. "_Kind of? _That's what I love about you, Meleth…you're so nice. Anyway, I want to show you something."

Obediently, I followed her out of the door and down the hall, where we finally reached a small door with a sign stating "Please keep out. Watch only," on it.

"Miss Idril?" I said. "This is…_safe_, isn't it?"

Idril shrugged. "Safe for me. You just hold on tight."

"Hold on tight to _what_?"

In reply, Idril flung open the door. Inside was…nothing, just the dark inside of a tall tower. There appeared to be some ropes hanging from the top, but I couldn't imagine what they were for.

"Just a second," said Idril. "The lift is still on the bottom floor; I just have to pull it up." I nodded, still with absolutely no idea what was going on. Idril proceeded to pull on one of the ropes until a small wooden platform was pulled into view.

"Hop on!" said Idril with a grin.

"_What_?" I cried. "Hop on _that_? We'll be killed! How does this even work?"

"Oh, relax, sweetie. The platform is attached to the top by ropes that go around a wheel. When I pull down on the rope, the platform goes up. The boys from the watch use this every day."

I sighed. "Promise you won't kill us?"

"Promise." Idril hopped onto the platform, which shuddered a little. "Let's go."

_Please, Eru, let me die quickly and painlessly_, I prayed, and stepped carefully onto the "lift." Idril grinned and slowly started to pull us up.

"Okay, rules for the lift," she said. "Put your arm around my shoulder and pull _down _on the rope with the other one. And we always have to remember to tie the rope to the hook when we get to the top or the platform will fall down and make a _ton _of noise and we'll get caught. Ok? Great."

We continued up the tower, but I'm afraid I wasn't much help in pulling the rope since I had my eyes closed the entire time. I thought I was going to faint by the time we finally reached the top.

"Here we are!" Idril said brightly, leaping off the lift and deftly tying the rope around the hook. "Check out _this _view, country girl!"

I opened my eyes, stepped carefully off the lift, and gasped.

We were standing nearly at the top of the tower, probably the highest up I'd ever been. Spread out before us was the entire city of Vinyamar, lit up by torches and candles and still full of the sounds of people shouting and carts rolling by.

"Everyone's still going about after dark?" I said.

"Of course," said Idril. "Vinyamar is famous for its night market. No one around here goes to bed for hours yet."

_What a place this is, where people go to markets in the middle of the night and beat you up if you can't pay them_, I thought. I briefly wondered if I liked it here or not.

"Time will tell, I guess," said Idril thoughtfully. I looked at her, surprised, and she winked at me.


End file.
